ICE deports criminal alien associated with Philadelphia murder
PHILADELPHIA – A Honduran man who was convicted of assault in association with a Philadelphia murder was deported Thursday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).
ERO officers handed Darlin Navarro-Turcios over to Honduran authorities June 11 after officers took him into custody near his home May 29 following his release from a Philadelphia jail.
Philadelphia authorities apprehended him under the alias Darlin Mendoza-Sanders May 4, 2014. He was charged with murder, simple assault, and aggravated assault for his role in the stabbing death of a man on a Philadelphia street. He pleaded guilty to simple assault and served 12 months in jail.
Navarro entered the country illegally in March 2003. He also has a driving under the influence conviction in 2013, which already made him a priority to remove from the United States, according to the Department of Homeland Security’s Nov. 20, 2014 memorandum “Policies for the Apprehension, Detention and Removal of Undocumented Immigrants.”
“The crime this criminal alien is associated with is heinous,” said Tom Decker, ERO Philadelphia field office director. “Our country will not be a safe haven for criminals, and we will continue to seek out and deport those who pose a risk to our communities.”
ICE prioritizes the use of enforcement personnel, detention space and removal assets to support the civil immigration enforcement priorities. By taking criminals who pose public safety threats off community streets and removing them from the country, ICE addresses a significant security and public safety vulnerability.
This enforcement action was spearheaded by ICE’s National Fugitive Operations Program, which locates, arrests, and removes at-large criminals. The officers who conducted this operation received substantial assistance from ICE’s Fugitive Operations Support Center and ICE’s Law Enforcement Support Center, both located in Williston, Vermont.
In fiscal 2014, ERO removed 315,943 individuals from the United States. In addition to convicted criminals, the agency’s enforcement priorities include those apprehended while attempting to unlawfully enter the United States, illegal re-entrants — individuals who returned to the United States after being previously removed by ICE — and immigration fugitives. In fiscal 2014, 98 percent of ICE removals met these priorities.
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